Sanofi Pasteur and SSI join forces against tuberculosis

Sanofi Pasteur is to team up with Statens Serum Institut of Denmark (SSI) to develop and market a new vaccine against tuberculosis (TB).

The two organisations signed a collaborative research and licence agreement that sees SSI grant Sanofi Pasteur a licence to its fusion protein technology.

Sanofi Pasteur also receives access to SSI’s Intercell IC31 adjuvant for the development of a tuberculosis vaccine, which the company states it would manufacture commercially if production is successful.

President and chief executive officer of Sanofi Pasteur Wayne Pisano described the agreement as a “milestone” for the company.

“Sanofi Pasteur and SSI are joining forces to develop a vaccine that may have a major impact on global health by preventing a disease that currently infects one person in the world every second,” he asserted.

Nils Strandberg Pedersen, SSI’s chief executive officer, also expressed his firm’s excitement to be joining forces with Sanofi Pasteur and claimed that the partnership would make a “difference” to the development of a TB vaccine.

The only TB vaccine (Bacille Calmette Guerin – BCG) used in the world today was developed over 80 years ago.

This week, Sanofi Pasteur announced the filing of a European marketing authorisation application for the use of its intradermal microinjection system to deliver influenza vaccines.